The Top 10 Greatest Horror Movie Weapons

by dsussmanSeptember 28, 2010 at 10:00AM
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Views: 8,217

Since the dawn of the horror genre, filmmakers have consistently come up with inventive ways to chop up an endless string of damsels in distress. They could’ve just left these film deaths to the imagination, but where's the fun in that? From knives to piano wire, these weapons are some of the bloodiest.

Source: New Line Cinema

10. Lawnmower

Photo: Cappi Thompson/Getty Images

Ahhh, the lawnmower. The classic contraption that uses a revolving blade to chop up everything in its path made it on this list based solely on its use in Dead Alive/Brain Dead. Not only does it do the job to a tee, the end scene in the film might just be the goriest of all time. There aren’t too many classic horror movie moments that feature this grass-grooming tool taking fools down in dramatic fashion, but leave it to Peter Jackson to create the goriest scene of all time with such a simple suburban tool.

9. A Stake

Source: American Zoetrope

This isn’t just a list for villain’s weapons. It’s nice to know that the good guys get to cause some havoc too. We all know that most horror movies showcase the killing power of a seemingly unstoppable force, but as most vampire movies have displayed, heroes can cause some carnage as well. Horror badasses like Freddy and Jason have been killed all sorts of crazy different ways, but to kill a vampire, you gotta play by the book.

A crucifix and some holy water will keep them at a distance for a bit, but to really do the job right, you need the classic of all classics. Staking vampires has been going on since the 18th century, y’all. People in western Europe used to literally stake corpses because of vampire superstitions and motion pictures eventually helped take this classic vampire-killing technique with a pointed piece of wood to a whole new level. Anthony Hopkins’ stake work in Bram Stoker's Dracula is always a nice one to revisit.

8. Phantasm Ball

Source: Avco Embassy Pictures

You gotta love balls. The Tall Man’s weapon of choice in all four Phantasm features is one of finest weapons horror has to offer.

The thing that I’ve always liked most about the silver sphere has to be its versatility. If infomercial legend Ron Popeil had to make an all-in-one killing machine, he would have created the silver sphere from Phantasm. The ball can chop, saw, and suck the brains out of a human’s skull. But wait, there's more! If all that wasn’t enough, it can even fly and stalk prey like a freakin’ heat-seeking missile. Big ups to director Don Coscarelli for coming up with the idea.

7. The Puzzle Box From Hellraiser

Source: New World Pictures

As witnessed in the opening scene of Clive Barker’s 1987 classic Hellraiser, you do not f*** with the puzzle box. The complex and extremely deadly puzzle box has a mind all of its own and seems to always be dead set on transporting the demonic Cenobites to planet earth to hook some flesh as many times as possible.

In the first film, the box actually tricks the user into solving the puzzle. Enter Pinhead, Chatterer, Butterball, and the female Cenobite. Who knew a little toy box could inflict so much bloodshed? This was such a breath of fresh air in the late ‘80s for horror fans. Instead of having a serial killer stalking young teens, Mr. Barker gave us one of the most dangerous objects horror had ever seen. This movie made me scared to solve my Rubik's Cube. Thanks a bunch, Pinhead.

6. The Machete

Source: New Line Cinema

The machete has popped up in any number of horror features over the years, but it’s fair to say that Jason Voorhees was the movie mass murderer that popularized this huge cleaver-like cutting tool. I’m not trying to glamorize violence here, but there’s just something so badass about this weapon. It literally goes hand-in-hand with horror. The second you see one, you automatically get transported back to Crystal Lake to see Mr. Voorhees chopping up a fine young couple right after they had a drunken sex romp.